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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| City bus drivers strike over pay | City bus drivers strike over pay |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Bus drivers in Sheffield are staging a 24-hour strike following a dispute with their bosses. | Bus drivers in Sheffield are staging a 24-hour strike following a dispute with their bosses. |
| About 750 workers are involved in the industrial action in the city, bus operator First said. | About 750 workers are involved in the industrial action in the city, bus operator First said. |
| A walkout by hundreds of drivers in Doncaster and Rotherham was cancelled on Thursday after First offered a 3% pay rise by 2010. | A walkout by hundreds of drivers in Doncaster and Rotherham was cancelled on Thursday after First offered a 3% pay rise by 2010. |
| But the Unite union said the strike in Sheffield was going ahead because of a separate row over disciplinary issues. | But the Unite union said the strike in Sheffield was going ahead because of a separate row over disciplinary issues. |
| Further strikes are planned for Sunday, Monday and 31 October. | |
| 'More important' | 'More important' |
| First said it was disappointed drivers in Sheffield had decided to go ahead with the industrial action, which means none of the company's commercial bus services are running in the city. | First said it was disappointed drivers in Sheffield had decided to go ahead with the industrial action, which means none of the company's commercial bus services are running in the city. |
| A First spokesman said about 300 buses were not on the roads as a result of the strike, which is centred on disciplinary issues at Sheffield's Olive Grove bus depot. | A First spokesman said about 300 buses were not on the roads as a result of the strike, which is centred on disciplinary issues at Sheffield's Olive Grove bus depot. |
| Unite said the issues included grievances over the way the company handled workers who had taken sickness leave and First's "attitude to disciplinary action". | Unite said the issues included grievances over the way the company handled workers who had taken sickness leave and First's "attitude to disciplinary action". |
| We feel today's action is completely unnecessary Brandon Jones, First South Yorkshire | We feel today's action is completely unnecessary Brandon Jones, First South Yorkshire |
| A spokesman for the union said: "The feeling is that this issue is even more important than the one of pay. | A spokesman for the union said: "The feeling is that this issue is even more important than the one of pay. |
| "We really do need to get this sorted out." | "We really do need to get this sorted out." |
| First South Yorkshire's deputy managing director Brandon Jones said: "We have a South Yorkshire directive and grievance procedure and the trade union will accept that has not been broken." | First South Yorkshire's deputy managing director Brandon Jones said: "We have a South Yorkshire directive and grievance procedure and the trade union will accept that has not been broken." |
| He added the union's concerns involved specific individuals and issues, and First had "made certain concessions". | He added the union's concerns involved specific individuals and issues, and First had "made certain concessions". |
| "We feel today's action is completely unnecessary," he said. | "We feel today's action is completely unnecessary," he said. |
| The new pay deal will be put to union members in a ballot next week. | The new pay deal will be put to union members in a ballot next week. |
| The action in Sheffield on Sunday coincides with the city's Fright Night Halloween party which usually attracts more than 30,000 people to the city centre. | The action in Sheffield on Sunday coincides with the city's Fright Night Halloween party which usually attracts more than 30,000 people to the city centre. |
| First said it would be able to operate a limited bus service for the event. | First said it would be able to operate a limited bus service for the event. |